Mike Brophy

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy writes Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday on Sportsnet.ca and appears regularly on Hockeycentral.

Antti Niemi.

Monday morning thoughts following a wild Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final.

NET GAINS

Does anybody really believe teams will start to put less emphasis on goaltending just because the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks made it to the final with the likes of Michael Leighton, Brian Boucher, Antti Niemi and Cristobal Huet?

Not a chance!

These teams have made it to the final in spite of their goaltending, not because of it. And you just have to believe both teams wish they had Martin Brodeur (in his prime) or Patrick Roy ready to start in Game 6. What we are seeing is an aberration. Goaltending has always, and will always, be a team’s No. 1 priority. Goaltending will never be used as a cost-cutting measure, regardless of how this season turns out. All that talk about Niemi or Leighton winning the Conn Smythe Trophy this season? Don’t buy into it.

OFFICIALLY SPEAKING

We saw a perfect game lost this week because of a blown call by an umpire. You really had to feel for both the pitcher and the ump, but that is the nature of sports. I happen to believe the majority of professional officials, umpires and referees, have enough pride in the work they do to try to always make the right call.

Sometimes, though, you have to wonder how they can get things so wrong. Philadelphia’s Daniel Carcillo, for instance, was called for charging in Game 3 on a play that clearly showed he glided the last 10 feet into his check. Charging, in the old days, used to be when a player ran at an opponent – three strides was the measuring stick. He was undoubtedly because he has a bad reputation.

In Game 5, last night, Chris Pronger was called for hooking Patrick Kane at 15:18 of the second period when he barely put his stick on the Chicago whippersnapper. The penalty resulted in a Chicago power play goal. Later, Philadelphia’s Daniel Briere was clipped in the eye by a high stick that resulted in a cut drawing blood.

No call. Two refs and two linesmen, but no call. There were 10 minutes left in the game and the Flyers should have gone on a four-minute, if not five-minute power play. Don’t worry though, a little while later Pronger was high-sticked – or was he? – and the Flyers got their power play.

In my worst nightmare I wouldn’t want to be responsible for officiating games in professional sports and I truly feel for the guys in black and white when they miss a call.

But sometimes I still shake my head at the mistakes.

HIT PARADE

The Flyers out-hit the Blackhawks 45-35 in Game 5, but it was the target of Chicago’s hits that made the difference in the game.

For the first time in the final, perhaps even in the playoffs, the opposition had the common sense to target the Flyers defence. Philadelphia has elected to go mainly with four defencemen in the final, so wouldn’t you think the opposition would target them at every opportunity – pound them into the ground?

Yet New Jersey, Boston and Montreal, in the first three rounds, and Chicago through the first four games of the final, let them off the hook.

Chicago’s best chance of winning the Cup rests in its ability to physically wear down the Flyers top four on defence.

WHERE’S CARTER?

If the Flyers plan to come back and win the Cup, they need Jeff Carter to check in. I know he has been injured, and may be playing hurt. If it turns out, in the end, injuries are what threw him off his game, I take this back.

But you have to assume when a guy is put in the lineup, he is mostly prepared to play. That being the case, Carter needs to get back to being a guy who decides games in his team’s favour.

For that to happen, he needs to get to the net. He has been a periphery player not willing to pay the price for goals in the final. Three shots on goal – none of which had a realistic chanced to go in – like he produced in Game 5, just isn’t cutting it.